(Yes, I know that the last post should have said seven years and not seventeen years. You can stop emailing me about it. Especially those of you who threatened to call up the University of Illinois so that they could reclaim my engineering degree. When you do complex calculus for a living sometimes simple math can become rather difficult.)
I apologize to those of you who look to this space for coverage of all things relating to reality television and are shocked to find no reference to the events on The Bachelor. I’m sorry but that show does not make my DVR cut. If I want to watch a show about numerous women vying for a guy’s attention I prefer to watch The Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels. At least on that show the former porn stars are up front about admitting to being former porn stars and they get to travel to such exciting locales as Indianapolis and Peoria.
Still, The Bachelor dumped his fiancée on national television and pretty much immediately started macking on the girl who came in second? That is pretty incredible (and sleazy) even by reality TV standards. I’m trying to think of worse ways to be dumped and that one may beat the current clubhouse leader of text message while in the office. Though I still feel that singing telegram or person in a gorilla costume carrying balloons might be even worse ways of getting the point across.
Since I am on the reality TV swing I might as well talk about the finale of Top Chef. First off, props for them doing the last two episodes in New Orleans and having the chefs stay at Hotel Monteleone, which is one of my favorite hotels in the city just because of their revolving bar. You have to love any bar that is already spinning before you even start drinking. Plus, they did a really nice job in promoting the rebirth of the food portion of the city and John Besh was able to make an appearance and that guy is simply brilliant with food. Even Emeril’s appearance was well done and spot on with his commentary.
As for the crowning of Top Chef, based on what was shown I have to say that Hosea was the right choice in winning the final competition. I think that his meal was better overall than Stefan’s and was cohesive even without a dessert. (Poor Carla. She just fell apart at the end even though she overachieved like mad and probably has a long career ahead of her as a result of this show.) The interesting thing is that this season is a complete reversal of the ending from two seasons ago. In that one the super efficient and clinical Hung beat out the more expressive Dale. I bring this up because it asks a question about what makes a Top Chef. I would hire Hung and Stefan to be the head chefs at my restaurant but I would want to eat at Hosea’s and Dale’s.
I think that is what makes Top Chef such a good show when it works properly. We all know what good food should be like and we all would like to think that we could run a restaurant properly. Of course, most restaurants crash and burn in the first year so you shouldn’t let that be taken into account. But it is a competition that we can all appreciate and at least have a sense as to who is the best. And it is a real skill as well, as opposed to being able to convince the guy you met two weeks ago on a soundstage that you should be life partners. Well, that is a skill in a sense but not one you can openly promote.
Showing posts with label Top Chef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top Chef. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Thursday, November 20, 2008
All aboard the pop culture express
As I wait in line with a large number of teenage girls prior to the midnight showing of Twilight (uh, that statement reads a lot worse now that I have written it) I thought that I would address some of the questions that have been posed to me in the comments over the past week as well as just some other random bits that have been unable to find their home in any of the other posts.
I have watched the Star Trek trailer and I’ll say that I am cautiously optimistic about it. It automatically wins a place in my heart by having Kirk mention his middle name of Tiberius in the first twenty seconds of the trailer. That and having Simon Pegg as young Scotty will be so totally awesome that the word awesome will need to be redefined. Spock seems to be well cast but I am not sold on Kirk yet. On first glance it seems to be Kirk as whiny Emo boy and I’m not sure if that is right. He should be brash and arrogant to be sure but I worry that they will make him too conflicted. Also, this is an odd numbered Star Trek film so we shouldn’t get our hopes up to begin with.
The film that I am totally stoked for (assuming that the lawsuit gets settled and it can actually be released) is Watchmen. First off, it is based on the graphic novel that is as close to literature as I have ever encountered. The story (about what if costumed heroes existed in the real world without any special powers) is so engrossing and I have dreamed of seeing Rorschach on the big screen. The trailer looks like the comic come to life with even Dr. Manhattan being properly represented. I’m worried that the story will be V for Vendetta’d in that it is ripped of much of its allegorical power in order to become a more palatable two hour film. It will be fascinating to watch.
The other film that I am really curious about is The Road. Based on what I consider to be one of the best written books of the past decade (Cormac McCarthy’s writing style in creating an apolocalyptic world is mesmerizing) it is quite possibly the most unfilmable book ever. Not in terms of plot or setting. In that sense it is a very simple adaptation. It is just that the book is the most depressing thing I have ever read. There is beauty and honor in its darkness but it is just continual suffering. I just don’t know how you turn that into something that people can sit in a theater for two hours and withstand.
Apologies for no new How I Met Your Mother reviews as I am now two weeks behind on my watching (similar with Big Bang Theory). I’m hoping to get some time this weekend to just veg out in front of the tv and empty the DVR. Basically I have been completely swamped at work and a stretch of twelve hour days has caused me to greatly reduce my television viewing. It doesn’t seem fair, does it? I spend all this time working so I can afford the large television set but I never get to enjoy it.
I have watched the new season of Top Chef, though. It is in New York this year so we can expect a season that thinks it is superior to all of the other seasons just because of where it is even though the Chicago season is in reality better in every way. I’ve already lost my favorite contestant, or at least the contestant that I would most like to date, as Jill was eliminated this week after deciding “Let’s see if I can cook an ostrich egg” and failing miserably. It is a general rule that for every reality show I find one contestant who I follow just because I think she is pretty and cool. For Project Runway this was the eventual winner Leanne. Sadly, Jill, whose main culinary skills were being tall and having a wry smile, did not last as long. Now I’ll just have to watch annoying Europeans explain why they are better than Americans week after week.
(But yes, even if you gave me 45 minutes for a hot dog challenge all I would do is make a Chicago dog. Why change from the best?)
I have watched the Star Trek trailer and I’ll say that I am cautiously optimistic about it. It automatically wins a place in my heart by having Kirk mention his middle name of Tiberius in the first twenty seconds of the trailer. That and having Simon Pegg as young Scotty will be so totally awesome that the word awesome will need to be redefined. Spock seems to be well cast but I am not sold on Kirk yet. On first glance it seems to be Kirk as whiny Emo boy and I’m not sure if that is right. He should be brash and arrogant to be sure but I worry that they will make him too conflicted. Also, this is an odd numbered Star Trek film so we shouldn’t get our hopes up to begin with.
The film that I am totally stoked for (assuming that the lawsuit gets settled and it can actually be released) is Watchmen. First off, it is based on the graphic novel that is as close to literature as I have ever encountered. The story (about what if costumed heroes existed in the real world without any special powers) is so engrossing and I have dreamed of seeing Rorschach on the big screen. The trailer looks like the comic come to life with even Dr. Manhattan being properly represented. I’m worried that the story will be V for Vendetta’d in that it is ripped of much of its allegorical power in order to become a more palatable two hour film. It will be fascinating to watch.
The other film that I am really curious about is The Road. Based on what I consider to be one of the best written books of the past decade (Cormac McCarthy’s writing style in creating an apolocalyptic world is mesmerizing) it is quite possibly the most unfilmable book ever. Not in terms of plot or setting. In that sense it is a very simple adaptation. It is just that the book is the most depressing thing I have ever read. There is beauty and honor in its darkness but it is just continual suffering. I just don’t know how you turn that into something that people can sit in a theater for two hours and withstand.
Apologies for no new How I Met Your Mother reviews as I am now two weeks behind on my watching (similar with Big Bang Theory). I’m hoping to get some time this weekend to just veg out in front of the tv and empty the DVR. Basically I have been completely swamped at work and a stretch of twelve hour days has caused me to greatly reduce my television viewing. It doesn’t seem fair, does it? I spend all this time working so I can afford the large television set but I never get to enjoy it.
I have watched the new season of Top Chef, though. It is in New York this year so we can expect a season that thinks it is superior to all of the other seasons just because of where it is even though the Chicago season is in reality better in every way. I’ve already lost my favorite contestant, or at least the contestant that I would most like to date, as Jill was eliminated this week after deciding “Let’s see if I can cook an ostrich egg” and failing miserably. It is a general rule that for every reality show I find one contestant who I follow just because I think she is pretty and cool. For Project Runway this was the eventual winner Leanne. Sadly, Jill, whose main culinary skills were being tall and having a wry smile, did not last as long. Now I’ll just have to watch annoying Europeans explain why they are better than Americans week after week.
(But yes, even if you gave me 45 minutes for a hot dog challenge all I would do is make a Chicago dog. Why change from the best?)
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Still wish Lia had lasted longer...
Medical update for anyone who is wondering. It looks like today will be my first day in weeks that I will make it through on just two Advil. This is down from the ten or so I was taking a day two weeks ago. And trust me, I could have chewed Advil like they were M&M’s when all of this started. My back is still sore and mornings are more than a bit of a pain but I have now progressed to the point where it no longer hurts when I breathe. So, I’m making progress. Given that I was able to stand for three hours at the Arcade Fire show I have to say that I am basically back to normal.
News item of the day that doesn’t really surprise me: Australian customs officials seized a drug shipment that was hidden inside a Mr. Potato Head doll. Outside of an AT-AT, a Mr. Potato Head is probably the most obvious place to hide drugs. Sometimes people just deserve to be caught.
So I found out today that the Notre Dame game is not going to be televised in KC on Saturday night. On one hand, this means that maybe we should have held the Home Away From Home game this weekend as at least I would have been able to see the game. On the other hand, it will be nice to have one Saturday that is not spent hurling obscenities at a television screen. Technically I can watch a game at a bar but it is one of those strip mall bars and just going into the place will make me depressed. Watching the game will just make things worse.
Heck, I can’t even win with the team in PS2. I lost to Penn State and Michigan, though I had chances to win both games. I’m just happy that I got Doctor Wang to be named players of the game. That and getting to hear “Wang unloads” and “Wang down with a sack” from the announcers. I think that it is entirely possible that I am still in the sixth grade.
Yeah, it’s just been that type of week. Not much has been going on and I’m kind of low on topics. I did watch the Top Chef finale last night and I have to say that I can’t argue with Hung winning. Some people online don’t like him because he was edited to be a villain but in reality the guy is just competitive. I completely understand why he would not help out some of the other chefs when he is competing against them. It is a competition after all. Technically, Hung is a brilliant chef. The one critique is that his food doesn’t always show the originality you would hope for and can be almost mechanical in a sense. That said, he’d be the first person I’d hire to work in my kitchen.
However, of all the contestants the one whose restaurant I would want to eat in is Dale’s. He lost because of inconsistency and a tendency to go all out and put everything on the line. But that is someone who you can tell cooks with heart and soul and his dishes seem to be flavorful and unpretentious. It’s the type of food that you know you would have a great time eating. Part of this is my standing up for a fellow Chicagoan but the dude can flat out cook. I’m happy he made it to the end.
And like most guys, I’d be more than willing to date Casey. There were some rumblings online that she only made it to the end because she was attractive but she is a really talented chef. When she was on she was dead on. I just think she needs another year or two before she really takes off. That’s what I like about Top Chef. Of all the reality competition shows this is the one where you realize that a) these people are really talented and b) they may end up with top careers as a result of it. Unlike American Idol, Top Chef will never result in anything as horrible as a Daughtry CD.
Have a great weekend everyone.
News item of the day that doesn’t really surprise me: Australian customs officials seized a drug shipment that was hidden inside a Mr. Potato Head doll. Outside of an AT-AT, a Mr. Potato Head is probably the most obvious place to hide drugs. Sometimes people just deserve to be caught.
So I found out today that the Notre Dame game is not going to be televised in KC on Saturday night. On one hand, this means that maybe we should have held the Home Away From Home game this weekend as at least I would have been able to see the game. On the other hand, it will be nice to have one Saturday that is not spent hurling obscenities at a television screen. Technically I can watch a game at a bar but it is one of those strip mall bars and just going into the place will make me depressed. Watching the game will just make things worse.
Heck, I can’t even win with the team in PS2. I lost to Penn State and Michigan, though I had chances to win both games. I’m just happy that I got Doctor Wang to be named players of the game. That and getting to hear “Wang unloads” and “Wang down with a sack” from the announcers. I think that it is entirely possible that I am still in the sixth grade.
Yeah, it’s just been that type of week. Not much has been going on and I’m kind of low on topics. I did watch the Top Chef finale last night and I have to say that I can’t argue with Hung winning. Some people online don’t like him because he was edited to be a villain but in reality the guy is just competitive. I completely understand why he would not help out some of the other chefs when he is competing against them. It is a competition after all. Technically, Hung is a brilliant chef. The one critique is that his food doesn’t always show the originality you would hope for and can be almost mechanical in a sense. That said, he’d be the first person I’d hire to work in my kitchen.
However, of all the contestants the one whose restaurant I would want to eat in is Dale’s. He lost because of inconsistency and a tendency to go all out and put everything on the line. But that is someone who you can tell cooks with heart and soul and his dishes seem to be flavorful and unpretentious. It’s the type of food that you know you would have a great time eating. Part of this is my standing up for a fellow Chicagoan but the dude can flat out cook. I’m happy he made it to the end.
And like most guys, I’d be more than willing to date Casey. There were some rumblings online that she only made it to the end because she was attractive but she is a really talented chef. When she was on she was dead on. I just think she needs another year or two before she really takes off. That’s what I like about Top Chef. Of all the reality competition shows this is the one where you realize that a) these people are really talented and b) they may end up with top careers as a result of it. Unlike American Idol, Top Chef will never result in anything as horrible as a Daughtry CD.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
International House of Style and Pancakes
Bored bored bored bored. That’s been my mantra for most of this weekend. Just couldn’t figure out what to do, where to go, or even if getting off the couch was a good idea or not. Hell, even the Nascar race got rained out so I couldn’t even lie on the couch and watch that all afternoon. I ended up watching grade school kids play Scrabble on ESPN2 for crying out loud.
(I’m not making that up. They were literally showing a Scrabble tournament. At least in the spelling bee you get to see kids have mental breakdown. Here there is more of a lazy rainy afternoon sort of vibe. Personally, I can see a whole string of shows based on this concept. How I Met Your Mother already broached the subject of Strip Battleship and I’m pretty sure The World Series of The Game of Life will be a sure-fired ratings hit.)
(Also, my boredom did result in my figuring out how to embed YouTube videos. Basically I ignored the instructions from both Blogger and YouTube and went my own route. Hence, the Beth Orton music video sitting somewhere below this post for all to enjoy. Or at least I’ll enjoy it.)
It’s been an odd sort of weekend. I took Friday off based on my mental health day principle. The idea is that while sometimes you take days off to travel or for an event there are certain times when you take a day off just because you don’t really want to do anything. Just sleep in, relax, watch some daytime television, maybe do some shopping when there are no crowds. I do this every couple of months, a nice three day weekend with no specific goal in mind. Why this resulted in my doing laundry on a Friday morning and trying to program the names of every player in NCAA football on Saturday is beyond me. The good news is that I’ve caught up on my sleep, have prioritized my projects for the next few months and should hopefully be able to completely change my schedule over the next few weeks.
I guess the one other interesting note is more of an observation of my life as of late. For some reason, I have become slightly obsessed with cooking. Less my personally cooking and more of the entire foodie vibe that is going on right now. I’ll try to explain. Dinner tonight for me was cooking Shrimp Scampi done by taking one of those Bertolli bags, plopping it in a pan, and coming back when it is done. Not much in the way of cooking outside of the occasional stir. But, I watch Top Chef religiously, have argued with people about the very nature of The Next Food Network Star and am currently plowing through Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. I’m really fascinated right now by the restaurant business and high end food.
This is strange coming from someone with absolutely no palate. Not in the medical sense but from a practical standpoint fast food has dulled my taste buds into submission. It was only a few months ago that I had my first dinner with a proper cheese course to which my reaction was “What the hell? Why should I be forced to select something that smells like ass?” Even so, I do realize that this is one of those cultural standards that I’ve completely missed the boat on. Plus, reality cooking shows are extremely interesting. You have talented people doing something that you know that you could theoretically do given enough time, patience and practice. It’s why I’m such a big fan of Top Chef. While other shows focus on backstabbing, lying and having the least likable person win on Top Chef the winner has to have shown some talent. It’s a nice change of pace. Sure, my dinner tomorrow will most likely be microwaved but at least now I dream of a day when I might actually use my oven.
The five random CDs of the week (still behind from last week but should finally catch up):
1) Arc Angels “Arc Angels” (Dude! I’ve been looking forward to this since I started the random CD project. Best CD I haven’t listened to in almost a decade.)
2) Sarah McLachlan “The Freedom Sessions”
3) The Shins “Oh, Inverted World”
4) Robbie Fulks “The Very Best of Robie Fulks”
5) Neko Case & Her Boyfriends “Furnace Room Lullaby”
(I’m not making that up. They were literally showing a Scrabble tournament. At least in the spelling bee you get to see kids have mental breakdown. Here there is more of a lazy rainy afternoon sort of vibe. Personally, I can see a whole string of shows based on this concept. How I Met Your Mother already broached the subject of Strip Battleship and I’m pretty sure The World Series of The Game of Life will be a sure-fired ratings hit.)
(Also, my boredom did result in my figuring out how to embed YouTube videos. Basically I ignored the instructions from both Blogger and YouTube and went my own route. Hence, the Beth Orton music video sitting somewhere below this post for all to enjoy. Or at least I’ll enjoy it.)
It’s been an odd sort of weekend. I took Friday off based on my mental health day principle. The idea is that while sometimes you take days off to travel or for an event there are certain times when you take a day off just because you don’t really want to do anything. Just sleep in, relax, watch some daytime television, maybe do some shopping when there are no crowds. I do this every couple of months, a nice three day weekend with no specific goal in mind. Why this resulted in my doing laundry on a Friday morning and trying to program the names of every player in NCAA football on Saturday is beyond me. The good news is that I’ve caught up on my sleep, have prioritized my projects for the next few months and should hopefully be able to completely change my schedule over the next few weeks.
I guess the one other interesting note is more of an observation of my life as of late. For some reason, I have become slightly obsessed with cooking. Less my personally cooking and more of the entire foodie vibe that is going on right now. I’ll try to explain. Dinner tonight for me was cooking Shrimp Scampi done by taking one of those Bertolli bags, plopping it in a pan, and coming back when it is done. Not much in the way of cooking outside of the occasional stir. But, I watch Top Chef religiously, have argued with people about the very nature of The Next Food Network Star and am currently plowing through Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. I’m really fascinated right now by the restaurant business and high end food.
This is strange coming from someone with absolutely no palate. Not in the medical sense but from a practical standpoint fast food has dulled my taste buds into submission. It was only a few months ago that I had my first dinner with a proper cheese course to which my reaction was “What the hell? Why should I be forced to select something that smells like ass?” Even so, I do realize that this is one of those cultural standards that I’ve completely missed the boat on. Plus, reality cooking shows are extremely interesting. You have talented people doing something that you know that you could theoretically do given enough time, patience and practice. It’s why I’m such a big fan of Top Chef. While other shows focus on backstabbing, lying and having the least likable person win on Top Chef the winner has to have shown some talent. It’s a nice change of pace. Sure, my dinner tomorrow will most likely be microwaved but at least now I dream of a day when I might actually use my oven.
The five random CDs of the week (still behind from last week but should finally catch up):
1) Arc Angels “Arc Angels” (Dude! I’ve been looking forward to this since I started the random CD project. Best CD I haven’t listened to in almost a decade.)
2) Sarah McLachlan “The Freedom Sessions”
3) The Shins “Oh, Inverted World”
4) Robbie Fulks “The Very Best of Robie Fulks”
5) Neko Case & Her Boyfriends “Furnace Room Lullaby”
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